I'm sure I've seen both of these topics before, but I get thousands of results when I try a search, and my migraine won't let me go through that many.
My SIL called and asked if I could ship a birthday cake for her boyfriend's birthday at the end of July. I told her I couldn't promise anything, but I would try. I've warned her that it might not arrive intact. That said, does anybody have any advice on how to package a cake for shipment? I told her it would have to be pretty simple, since more elaborate often means more fragile. It will be fondant.
Also, she kind of wants red velvet cake. I've never made one, but it seems to me like I've read on here that they aren't the most sturdy cakes? Is this true? If so, I'll see if I can steer her to a more stable recipe. I usually do doctored mixes, but if anybody has any suggestion for a nice stable cake, either mix or scratch, I'd really appreciate the help.
Thanks so much!
I once shipped a cake to my niece. The PO turned the box upside down - even though I wrote on the box not to. Anyway, she said she could tell that it said happy birthday and see the designs. I baked it in one of those aluminum pans with a lid (bought it at Walmart for less than $2) and decorated it in the pan. Slapped the lid on and popped it in the mail. She said it was still fresh and delicious.
Just made a RV cake from a box. Don't know what it tasted like but got the recipe from here:
CakesbyJam wrote:
ok CC'rs......This is the recipe I made for RV..and I made cupcakes instead of a cake...AND THEY ARE DELISH!!!!!!
DH RV
4 eggs
1 1/4 c buttermilk
white choc. instant pudding
1/3 c oil
1 1/2 t Butavan
Thanks to all who offered their ideas
Here's the thread http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-3979253-.html#3979253
HTH
If you are using fondant and a non perishable filling, you may be able to send it. Next-day delivery will be expensive.
If you cover the cake with fondant, keep the decorations simple, wrap it well and package it carefully, it might even end up in one piece.
Karen,
Sarah's Red Velvet Cake recipe on this site has gotten very good reviews. I haven't tried it yet, but many have.
Red velvet cakes usually have cream cheese frosting on them. This is probably not a great choice to ship since it's more perishable than other icings.
The following is in NO way the right way to do this. The right way is to get specialized shipping containers for food.
That being said, this was how I recently shipped two cakes to my sister in NY from NC..they are in my photos...the daisy cake and the cherry blossom.
Chill the cake thoroughly, cover in fondant, wrap it and freeze it. This will help keep it in one piece.
You'll need good gel freezer packs.(Polar packs or Utek packs are the best.) Double plastic bag the packs. You'll need two boxes...one a little bigger than the cake, and one bigger than the first box.
Place the gel packs flat in the first box, put the cake on top of them.
Place a gel pack on either side of the wrapped cake. Fill any space in the box with packing peanuts, so there is no movement from the cake. Don't foret to fill the space on top of the cake too. Seal that box.
Take the bigger box, put a good layer of packing peanuts down, put the smaller box in the middle and fill all empty space with peanuts, including on top. Make sure the small box can't move much. Close the big box and check to see that the top doesn't mush in when you put pressure on it. If it does, you need more peanuts and probably some layers of cardboard for extra strength. Seal the big box well.
Make sure you write perishable all over the box as well as This End Up with arrows.
You'll have to ship overnight, so be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for it depending on the destination. It cost me $73 to ship to NY. Also, make sure someone will be there to receive it. Once they do, they need to unpack and unwrap the cake.
This is no guarantee that it'll arrive in one piece. Additonally, it's a dicey game if you are shipping something perishable...there's no guarantee that it won't spoil. I would not use cheap freezer packs....they won't stay cold for the trip.
My cakes did arrive in one piece although some of the flowers were broken. The Polars packs were still cold too!
HTH! 
Duncan hines red velvet cake is yummy especially with cream cheese icing
I shipped this cake http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=246943 to Georgia from Vancouver Washington. It made it there in one piece.
The cake is chocolate with my special Bittersweet Chocolate frosting. It's a fantastic tasting cake and holds up very well.
Since the cake was covered in fondant, I was able to wrap it really well with saran wrap. Then I placed bubble wrap in the bottom of the box. Then I placed the cake in the box and placed bubble wrap all around it and on top. When I was finished packing the cak I shook the box and the cake didn't budge! Then I shipped it off through the post office Next Day Shipping. I marked Fragile all over it but that didn't matter. They still busted the box. But since it was so well packaged, the cake was fine 
Lazy_Susan
I have made Sarah's Red Velvet cake a lot! It is the best red velvet cake I have ever had and very easy to make. My family LOVES red velvet cake and I get a lot of orders for it! I have found it is very sturdy and travels very well in a car but I am sorry I can not help you on shipping. I have never done that. I hope I have helped.
I would be very cautious about shipping a red velvet cake. I make them all the time and the Cream Cheese Frosting melts very easily. It may not hold up to the trip.
Thanks so much, everybody! I've never had red velvet cake, so I didn't know it had a cream cheese frosting. I definitely wouldn't feel safe shipping something that perishable. I'll ask her if she wants the RV with Crisco BC, or if she wants something else altogether.
Thanks also for the shipping ideas. It will be going from MD to SC. Since it's an experiment for both of us, I'm just charging her for materials and shipping, so she shouldn't mind paying for overnight.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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